Lauda angry with Rosberg risk

Niki Lauda says he has no idea why Nico Rosberg attacked Lewis Hamilton so aggressively and so early in the Belgian Grand Prix after the incident which gave the Brit a puncture on lap two.

Pole-sitter Rosberg was beaten off the line by Hamilton but was sizing his team-mate up for a pass on lap two, only to make contact with his left rear tyre coming into Les Combes. Hamilton sustained a puncture and pitted and never featured in the points for the rest of the race, though Rosberg recovered from the damage of the collision to finish second.

Lauda, the non-executive chairman of Mercedes, does not understand what was going through Rosberg's mind and says it was unacceptable so early on.

"Lewis was clear in the lead, there's no question about it," Lauda said. "Nico was behind. Why in the second lap? Someone has to explain to me. Because if they fight all the way to the end and these things happen, they can happen, but not in the second lap."

Lauda knows the result could have been avoided and says the team will sit down and discuss the incident on Sunday evening.

"For [Hamilton], it's bad, no question about it. We will have a meeting later on with everybody together and see what are going to do. I think it's a bad result for the Mercedes team altogether and Lewis."